How This Director-Editor Duo Built a Foundation to Push Creativity Further
Director Kat White and Work Editorial editor Leah Turner have had a “great creative flow” since their very first sessions together.
Getting to know each other while collaborating on the ‘Habanero’ music video for Rosie Tucker, the pair were immediately impressed with each other’s dedication to their craft. Kat’s experimental visuals and rigorous preparation matched with Leah’s creative approach to cutting, and they soon developed a shorthand together.
“To have Kat come in with specific timecodes, cameras and performance details was a big surprise – in a good way!” says Leah. “I didn’t know it would be the beginning of a long partnership, but I’m really glad it has been! Finding our rhythm together has been incredibly rewarding and I’m very proud of the products we’ve been able to deliver.”
“When we sat in session to further develop the video, I immediately felt like I had a creative partner who both understood my vision and also had a strong creative voice of her own,” adds Kat. “It absolutely felt like a creative partnership I wanted to develop from the get-go.
Prior to this, Kat says her creative pursuits were largely an individual endeavour, having grown up as an only child in rural areas of Massachusetts and Maine. But now, her collaborative expressions of creativity, including those with Leah, have helped expand her artistic horizons. “Filmmaking is about as far from an individual pursuit as it gets, and the way I think about creative work has absolutely expanded since moving to LA,” she says.
“LA can be a bit of a bubble and while you want to stay on top of trends in the industry, it’s also important to have influences outside of that bubble,” adds Leah. “Otherwise, everything will look the same! Absorbing culture from other people and places can only enrich the process and help push your creativity.”
Four years since ‘Habanero’, the duo has now worked on several music videos together, including for artists Teddy Swims and PVRIS – the latter being a particular highlight for Kat. “The footage had great energy, and I remember Leah and I having a lot of fun cutting it together. It was really well-received by Warner Records as well. It’s a great feeling when everyone’s creative instincts align.”
“Kat always has a new idea to incorporate, so we are forever building upon her style,” says Leah, sharing that her director partner frequently incorporates dance in her work. “I tend to do several passes pulling from the dance footage for each video. One pass is purely what I respond to – what feels exciting, engaging, interesting to watch? Then I pull looking for specific poses/moves depending on the genre we are working in – sometimes you want more fluidity, other times it should feel sensual, other times frenetic, etc. Having a bucket of selects that emphasise the style of the artist is always helpful.”
She continues, “The other thing I keep in mind, and which is important to both of us, is how these women are portrayed. While the striking visuals are important, it’s equally important that their inclusion be integral to the video’s concept. The movement should add to the tone and story we are pushing forward at all times.”
Being a female director-editor duo in an industry shaped and often dominated by the male gaze, Leah adds that it’s “still a regular occurrence” for her to be the only woman in the room, even on jobs targeting a female audience. This generates a “wholly unrealistic” pressure to represent all women – or whichever underrepresented group a person on set is part of. Fortunately, she has seen an increase in female creative voices, and uses her position as a storyteller to speak up and craft authentic perspectives in her work. “For example,” she explains, “not to perpetuate problematic stereotypes from the past or infantilise female characters.”
Kat also focuses on the elements within her control as a director. “The longer I work in film, the more strongly I believe in the power of the individual to affect meaningful change. I take that very seriously. I look at every job as an opportunity to foster a team with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We can all create luck and opportunity for each other. I try to play my part in that.
“It would be dishonest to say there aren’t challenges that impact me,” she adds. “My advice to women considering film would be to dive right in. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Reject imposter syndrome with every fibre of your being. The best kind of learning is done by doing, so start creating with what you have and go from there.
“I also highly recommend reaching out to other women in the field – or any creator you admire, regardless of gender. I have been astounded by the generosity of filmmakers I’ve reached out to. There is a strong, knowledgeable and welcoming community waiting for you… I feel incredibly grateful to the people – many men included – who have taken a chance on me. It’s shaped me into a person who does the same for others.”
Leah offers similar advice to up-and-coming editors, suggesting that the hours spent developing a skill set and style would also be complemented well by the editor connecting with established names. “Reach out to editors! See if they need an assistant or have advice, but be able to show you are ready to dive into this very fast-paced industry. It can be a huge challenge finding your way in the industry, but at the end of the day, being able to see something you helped create from nothing is infinitely rewarding.”
Reflecting on the evolution of their creative dynamic, Leah remembers being introduced for the very first time by another editor – an impactful moment that still resonates with the pair four years on. “Kat was incredibly prepared, intelligent and had some of the best style I’ve ever seen in real life (a rainbow Liberace coat is not outside the realm of what she can pull off). This first impression has been spot on, I think. Every shoot and every post-session, she comes ready with a strong point of view, a detailed approach, and an open mind to collaborate with the team around her.”
Kat’s first impression of Leah was equally positive – a sign of things to come for the soon-to-be director-editor duo. “She was focused, smart and exceptionally talented. Our first sessions had a great creative flow. The more we worked together and the more I got to know Leah, the more it became clear that my first impressions were totally true. I’m continually impressed by her work ethic, creativity and good humour.
“The longer I work in this industry, the greater my gratitude is for the creative relationships that extend beyond the life of a single job,” she adds. “Music videos are so fast-paced, and so many people enter and exit your life as you cycle from one job to the next. To have a creative history, a working language, a trust in your collaborator’s own unique vision, like I do with Leah – it’s all worth its weight in gold. I think it’s much easier to take risks when you already have that foundation built. Leah and I have a history of many jobs between us and we trust each other creatively. That’s a great position to work from.”
